One Liners – 13th September

• Union Cabinet approved Pradhan Mantri Annadata Aay Sanrakshan Abhiyan (PM-AASHA) to protect the income of farmers growing pulses, oilseeds and copra. It is a mix of sub-schemes involving direct procurement from farmers, the involvement of private players for procurement on a pilot basis, and paying farmers the difference between the MSP and the selling price.

• The government has banned manufacturing, sale and distribution of 328 Fixed Dose Combination (FDC) drugs with immediate effect citing safety concerns. FDC drugs are two or more medicines contained in a single dosage form.

• HDFC Bank retained its top spot in the Brand India Top 50 for the fifth year in a row. LIC stood at the second spot due to the key role played by its pension plan business, followed by TCS.

• Former Indian hockey team captain Sardar Singh announced his retirement from international hockey.

• To mark the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, PM Modi announced the launch of ‘Swachhata Hi Seva Movement’.

• India, Iran and Afghanistan held their first tripartite meeting in Kabul, Afghanistan during which implementation of the Chabahar port project and a host of other issues including ways to deepen counter-terror cooperation were discussed.

• External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj left for a two-day visit to Moscow, Russia. During this visit, she will attend the meeting of 23rd India-Russia Inter-Governmental Commission on Technical and Economic Cooperation (IRIGC-TEC).

• The Union Cabinet approved a proposal for the complete electrification of Indian Railways by 2021-22, reducing dependence on imported fossil fuel and saving revenue for the national carrier. It will cost the government Rs 12,134.

• The 2018 Global Summit on Climate Action will be held at San Francisco in California, US from September 12 to 14, 2018.

• The Union Cabinet has given its ex-post facto approval for the MoU on collaborative research on distributed ledger and blockchain technology in the context of development of digital economy by Export-Import Bank of India.

• India will supply 160 railway coaches to Sri Lanka. The agreement to supply the passenger coaches custom-made in India, valued at $82.64 million, was signed between RITES Limited of India and Sri Lankan government in Colombo.